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Following the process: unfolding how form-based code—as a travelling concept—has been adapted within the social, cultural, and architectural context of Riyadh

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Abstract

The urban form of cities plays a key role in achieving high-quality urban environments. Recently, Form-Based Code has been gaining popularity and has become a travelling and universal concept. This paper explores the adaptability of FBC as a universal concept to the local socio-cultural context by analysing the Wadi Hanifa Urban Code. Three methods were used to triangulate the sources of data include review of policy documents, semi-structured interviews, and thematic analysis. This paper identifies four key socio-cultural factors that play a significant role in urban and social context of Riyadh: privacy, safety and security, sociability, and architectural character. They play a key role in forming the code at multiple layers, including the transect zoning, regulating plan, and code standards. The process of drafting the code was conducted through a top-down approach with no ‘public engagement’ process, which represents the planning culture and practices in Saudi Arabia. Hence, the adaptation of FBC to the socio-cultural context relied on municipal stakeholders’ and experts’ opinions during workshops and charrettes. However, the paper shows that a hybrid approach to seek public feedback was practiced through the Code Studio, which functioned as a testing phase at a later stage of the code development.

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Fig. 1
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source: Eben Saleh 1998) of (right) aerial view of a traditional urban form in Najd region; a network of Sikkas, which are connected to a series of open spaces known as Baraha (source: Royal Commission for Riyadh City)

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source: Royal Commission for Riyadh City)

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source: Wadi Hanifa Urban Code 2020)

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Notes

  1. The study was conducted during the process of shaping Wadi Hanifa FBC, thus the review of policy documents included materials that are not yet published.

  2. Melhaq is an outside room within the vicinity of walled land but not physically connected with the villa.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to gratefully thank the Deanship of Scientific Research and Researchers Support and Services Unit at King Saud University as well as the Deanship of Scientific Research at Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University for their technical support. The authors would like to extend their gratitude to the interviewees and planning experts who participated in the study and took the time to share their views and experiences. In addition, the authors also extend the gratitude to the anonymous reviewers for their constructive and profound comments.

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Author notes

  1. Faisal Bin Sulaiman and Mohammed Almahmood have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Architecture and Building Science, College of Architecture and Planning, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Faisal Bin Sulaiman

  2. Department of Architecture, College of Architecture and Planning, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia

    Mohammed Almahmood

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  1. Faisal Bin Sulaiman
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  2. Mohammed Almahmood
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Correspondence to Faisal Bin Sulaiman.

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Bin Sulaiman, F., Almahmood, M. Following the process: unfolding how form-based code—as a travelling concept—has been adapted within the social, cultural, and architectural context of Riyadh. Urban Des Int 27, 177–197 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41289-021-00163-9

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